You should make it a point to know the difference between a: You will have a much easier time identifying the time frame for a photo this way. Learn what the different types of photos look like and when they were used. Photography styles changed over the years as the technology advanced. If you can identify the time period a piece of furniture in the background came from, the era of house you're looking at behind the people in the photo, or even the way the landscape looked and how it has changed over time (including buildings that are in the photo that may no longer be there… find out when those buildings were actually there), you can identify when the photo was taken within a very accurate and narrow range of years.įinally, the type of photography used is a great clue. The same thing goes for the background details of the photo. ![]() You can become familiar with the various styles for both men and women very quickly with just a little research on your part. There are also websites devoted to this subject. Reading books on clothing and hair styles of the 19th and 20th centuries will help you identify the time period of a photo based on these things. Some things that can help you in identifying the time period in which a photo was taken include:Ĭlothing and hairstyles are big clues as to time period, since fashions changed over time, just as they do today. If you don't know the time period in which the photo was taken, you won't have much luck determining who is in the photo, or anything personal about them. This is the most important step in identifying and interpreting old family photographs. Here's what you need to know to be able to do it. All you have to do to unlock these stories is to know how to identify and interpret the photos. They can tell a very interesting genealogical tale of that person's life, times, and family. Either way, your old family photos can tell you far more about your ancestors than just what they looked like. Maybe you don't (not labeling photos was a big problem in generations past, as people just assumed everyone who saw the photo would know who it was and didn't think of future generations needing this information). You may also have some old genealogical photos yourself. If you spend enough time online interacting with distant cousins you discover on genealogy websites, you will undoubtedly eventually find someone who has amazing photos they are willing to share with you. Discovering previously unknown family photos from generations ago is like uncovering genealogical gold. The information within these collections does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution, but rather the social attitudes and circumstances of the time when materials were collected or cataloged.There are clues to your family history in old photographs. In some cases, these records make evident injustice or prejudices, and these records may appear in their original form to facilitate research. Some records may include offensive language. These archival collections may include historical content and descriptions that do not align with contemporary standards and terminology. Please note that SOVA collections reflect the context and culture in which they were created, collected, and described. ![]() If you would like to request a correction or have comments, please contact us. It is a work in progress, and we welcome feedback. ![]() We are constantly working to facilitate access and to provide improved resource descriptions. The resources in the Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives are contributed by museums, libraries, and archives from across the Smithsonian.
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